Storyline: Four magicians each answer a mysterious summons to an obscure address with secrets inside. A year later, they are the Four Horsemen, big time stage illusionists who climax their sold out Las Vegas show with a bank apparently robbed for real. This puts agents Dylan Rhodes of the FBI and Alma Dray of Interpol on the case to find out how they did it. However, this mystery proves difficult to solve even with the insights of the professional illusion exposer, Thaddeus Bradley. What follows is a bizarre investigation where nothing is what it seems with illusions, dark secrets and hidden agendas galore as all involved are reminded of a great truth in this puzzle: the closer you look, the less you see.

spoiler alert; OK after constant hemming and hawing i finally watched this movie i really didn't want to tell ya what is gong on in the story but it is impossible to let you know how good it really is without also giving away a few details OK after constant hemming and hawing i finally watched this movie mainly because it had Morgan freeman and isla fisher who is just too darn cute the plot actually started a little slow for me and while it becomes relatively obvious about half way thru the movie that the good cop is of course the man hidden behind the mask it is still an excellent way of presenting now only a who done it type of twist but also a fun way to show the possibilities of what actual magic tricks are like; i also liked the fact that this is a movie that actually ends with Freeman being the bad guy at the end at least in a small way

2014-03-03

An insult to human intelligence

There is a difference between magicians and liars. Since none of the "magic" in this movie is plausible, the four "magicians" are not magicians. They are liars in real life.

And when one of the four "magicians" was being chased by police, he "magically" turned himself into a kung-fu master and defeats everyone he runs into The movie showed this particular "magician" (liar) killing himself after a "magical" car chase.

And I don't know what happened to the remaining three liars, as I didn't even bother to finish this movie

Monkeys are so intelligent these days that we have movies made for them

2014-02-05

A week later and I couldn't remember the title....

Four street performers are recruited by some mysterious character and bank-rolled by Michael Caine. They decide to embark on what appears to be a socialist-inspired reallocation of wealth via "magic." It's Robin Hood in CGI but lacking in charm.

Did you ever go to a Harry Potter movie and see rows upon rows of disenfranchised middle schoolers longing to go from invisible to invincible? They had read the book and fantasized about instant fame, power and popularity.

Now take the most devoted Potterite and put this film in front of them and they will be bored and overcome with some of the juvenile "stupid" that flows through this movie. Even as fantasy, it isn't plausible.

Woody Harrellson is fun to watch. The money must have been good for Morgan Freeman to smugly mug his way through....only to be outsmarted in the end by a surprise ending that makes you want to stand up and yell "Really?" If you like movie dumbness which paints business as evil and average Joes as victims, you might enjoy this. But if you want to see real movie magic, rent The Prestige. It's much better and it will actually require you to warm up some brain cells....unlike Now You Bore Me.

2013-06-04

How to waste a great cast of actors

I was surprised at how stupid, nonsensical and repetitive this movie was with such an incredible cast of characters. The preamble is good: a group of mentalists and illusionists gets picked up by a mysterious third party who turns them into a team and turns them into a Las Vegas sensation while a secret plan unfolds underneath. But that's where everything stops making sense. From then on it's a series of car chases with the police, magic shows in prominent theatres around the world while a man tapes the illusionists to try and unmask their tricks. But why he does it is never clear and never will be until the cheesy, predictable finale. Besides the spectacular special effects and camera movements, there's nothing here. And two incredible actors like Michael Caine and Morgan Freeman are completely wasted in roles that hardly make sense in an already disconnected storyline.

2013-07-20

No Magic here

Now you see me is a weak story that has you believing its gonna be good. That's the real trick i fell for. By the time this mish mash was over i felt like i just watched a whole series of xfactor for magicians back to back. The whole premise of a group of elite magicians drafted by a mysterious founder of a secret society to right wrongs and reap revenge using magic tricks is a bit of a stretch, and never really got off the ground. Even with the instant just add water hype i was bored. Morgan Freeman was pretty average and his character Thaddeus Badly was pantomimic. Woody Harrelson did his usual standard with his character of Merritt McKinney the master hypnotist who could hypnotize anyone. Seriously he could have just got people to hand over money instead of creating elaborate scenarios. Mark Ruffalo as Dylan Rhodes was the central character but is so weak it left the movie hollow and bland. If you haven't seen it than good for you. At the count of three you will awake and you will not want to see this movie.

2013-12-28

Lame and uninteresting

This was a major disappointment. I really did not know what to expect, but it certainly was not this mess. The only things I did like was the acting of Morgan Freeman, and Michael Caine, and I suppose Woody Harrelson did a pretty good job too. Other than that, this was just awful. The characters are all as shallow as a puddle, with all the likability of the drunk college frat boys across my street. Seriously, I was cheering for the Four horsemen to be caught and flogged in jail because they were all irritating, ungrateful, and nearly got several innocent people killed. Jesse Eisenberg's character and Franco's character and acting are very bad. Eisenberg is still the character he was in the Social Network, and I did not even like him or that movie then. I really do not see the big deal about this guy. And James Franco's brother has about as much talent as Patrick Wayne did in comparison to his father (I'll give you a hint; it is not a whole lot). The Story was rendered completely and utterly pointless by the stupid "twist" at the end, which to be honest was not that interesting, and was contrived and devoid of logic to begin with so it did not do as much harm as it should have. The effects were the final nail in the coffin, As soon as I saw the utterly cheap and shameless CGI I felt like leaving. It was a depressing experience to see this film literally butchered by crap CGI and cheesy cinematography within the first five minutes. This film, on the surface is close to a modern equivalent of Arabesque; a film that has as little logic as possible peppered with crazy cinematography. But Arabesque at least had Gregory Peck, and Sophia Loren who were better actors than any of the four horsemen here, are Sophia was easily better looking than anyone in this movie. Do not waste your time here, this was garbage. While technically a far worse film, Sharknado is easily better than Now You See Me, or any other film this year for sheer unpretentious fun. Aren't the summer blockbuster's supposed to be fun anyway?

2013-09-08

Absolutely Brilliant! Must see!

This movie does not deserve the bad reviews that I've seen! Not at all!

I'm a person who watches a film for the actors (at first) and then is surprised by the film itself. I watched this film for Mark Ruffalo and Dave Franco. I was definitely surprised by how much I enjoyed it.

I usually write in depth about all of the good things in a movie, but if I did that for this it would go over the 1000 word limit IMDb has set. So I'll make a list instead of why I love this movie so much.

-Unique plot -Some amazing performances -Clever twists -Action that is enjoyable to watch -I realised what the twists were merely seconds before their reveal, something which I think every movie twist aims to achieve. -Well executed

As with any review and with any film, there have to be some drawbacks:

-Isla Fisher was criminally underused (though that applies to the rest of Hollywood too) -Lack of character development after the first introductions -Can be confusing if you don't pay full attention (but I did so this doesn't really count as a flaw) -Dave Franco remained fully clothed the entire time

I highly recommend you get yourself a DVD copy of this film or buy it on Amazon Video or watch it wherever you can! Ignore the bad reviews, people are stupid.

2016-08-28

This movie is magical

This has become one of my all time favorite movies. From the very beginning, I was on the edge of my seat! The concept is so unique that going into the movie I had extremely high expectations, so naturally I was expecting to be a little disappointed.... BUT I WAS PROVED WRONG!!!!!!! The whole movie was fantastic, especially the end! I looked too closely and never saw what was right in front of me. I gasped when everything comes to light in the end. Everyone in this movie was fantastic and I will love and cherish this movie forever!!! I don't understand all the negative reviews! This movie is downright fantastic.

2014-06-11

Great Cast! Great Fun!

"Now You See Me" is has a wonderful cast and story lines that surprised and charmed me. I already know that I want to see the film again to scrutinize the misdirection that pervades both the on-screen "magic" acts and the overlaying plot lines.

The film has three principal sets of characters--first, the illusionists who are brought together by an unseen force to build a spectacular act, including at least one bank robbery, played out on location in Las Vegas, New Orleans, and NYC; second, law enforcement, including the FBI and a lovely French Interpol agent (Melanie Laurent); and third, the observers, including Michael Caine as a financial backer and Morgan Freeman as a magic-act debunker. Caine and Freeman are their usual wonderful selves, each playing a superficially archetypal role which is then revealed to be not all that it seems as the plot unfolds. The FBI and Interpol are necessary characters for the plot, and Mark Ruffalo and Ms. Laurent do well considering their characters exist in part to be duped by the illusionists. The actors who portray the illusionists--Isla Fisher, Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, and Dave Franco-- infuse their roles with great energy, charm, and wit, albeit a theatrically glib wit. I and others in the theater remarked that we would have liked to see more of them on screen.

The plot is too complex for me to do it justice before seeing the film again; suffice it to say, it involves four illusionists who build a complex act that seems to involve crimes which the FBI then investigates with comical frustration.

The movie is worth seeing for the actors, the visuals, the locations, and the misdirection and plot twists. I am sure that a careful scrutiny will imply some plot holes that will bother some viewers, but I also believe that an even more careful scrutiny would reveal that some 'holes' are not as deep as they seem at first. "Now You See Me" is a wonderful summer movie with great performances, surprising plot twists, and a "feel-good" energy.

2013-05-08

Unique, Keeps You on the Edge of Your Seat with All its Twists and Turns

I absolutely love this film. "Now You See Me" is like nothing I've ever seen before. "Now You See Me" tells the story of a group of magicians called The Four Horsemen who use their skills to pull off some of the greatest international robberies of their generation. Featuring Daniel Atlas (Jesse Eisenberg), Merritt McKenny (Woody Harrelson), Henley Reeves (Isla Fisher) and Jack Wilder (Dave Franco), the Four Horsemen make a dream team of street magicians. Since they have made their stunts public, allowing the world to "witness" the robberies, authorities are in hot pursuit of the four, now wanted criminals. Detective Rhodes (Mark Ruffalo) is accompanied in his search for the illusive magicians by Thaddeus Bradley (Morgan Freeman) and French detective Alma Dray (Melanie Laurent). Will the Four Horsemen be able to pull of their final act without being caught, or will it be curtains for the criminal performers?

The plot is so original and full of fresh ideas and witty comedy. I love how fast paced this film is, I swear there isn't a dull moment from beginning to end. The plot itself has so many twists and turns it should be a pretzel, but it keeps the audience guessing the whole time and hits you with major shock factor. The acting in this film is incredible. It features a group of incredible actors - Morgan Freeman, Jesse Eisenberg, Dave Franco, Woody Harrelson and many others. I love how each character has a unique quirk and personality that you can really see, but they all work together so well. The cinematography and special effects in this film are phenomenal. It is bursting with rich colors and textures, drawing you into the magic and making the illusions appear so real. The soundtrack is also amazing. It is suits each scene very well, while keeping a consistent theme and feel throughout the movie. "Now You See Me" is definitely not one to miss.

It's hard for me to pick a favorite character because I love all of the Horsemen, but when it comes down to it I have to say I like the characters Daniel Atlas and Jack Wilder. Daniel, played by Jesse Eisenberg, often tries to assert himself as the head of the Four Horsemen. He is controlling, very specific and difficult to deal with, but he is also the funniest character which is attributed to all of his demanding qualities. I love every film Jesse Eisenberg is in and I think he is perfect for the role of Daniel Atlas. I also like Jack Wilder, played by Dave Franco, because he is the craftiest of the magicians. He isn't the "card trick" or "read your mind" type, he's just a good old fashioned pick-pocket for whom no door is ever locked.. He is sort of the "muscle" to the operation because he is able to help the horsemen get out of tight situations and he is also very funny.

My favorite scene is when the Four Horsemen have to escape from the FBI after their second robbery. Jack Wilder has to stay behind to burn secret files. When he has an unexpected run-in with Detective Rhodes, an action filled fight sequence and high speed chase follow. This scene is filled with suspense, action and incredible stunts and it shows that the Horsemen are always two steps ahead.

I recommend this film for ages 12+ because of violence and mild mature language. Overall I give "Now You See Me" 5 out of 5 stars.